Moving from gym to running

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meerkat70
meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've been back to the gym the last little while, using an elliptical. (I don't like treadmills)
I love running and want to make the move from gym back onto the road, as I really like exercising outdoors. Thing is, I can't remember how to do this! I look at the beginning runner programmes, and they look a bit annoyingly slow. I know of old that I only really like running once I can do a straight fun of at least 15 / 20 minutes. But I also really don't want to hurt myself getting ahead of myself.

I'm big, and I'm not very fit at the moment. I can do a straight 30 minutes on the elliptical, but at a pretty gentle pace. Would it be safe, do you think, for me to have a go at 15 straight minutes, right off, or do I need to do the annoying walk run thing first?

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  • n3wlif3styl3
    n3wlif3styl3 Posts: 81
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    bump
  • Mommawarrior
    Mommawarrior Posts: 897 Member
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    Personally, I just went for it. I didn't do a program when I started running, I just went outside and started running. I ran until I couldn't run anymore to see what I had, then I made my own schedule. Only when I am training for a race do I follow an actual schedule and I still don't do the walk/run ratios unless I just have to. I don't know if this is great advice or not as the pros would tell ya, but it is was worked for me.
  • amattern1974
    amattern1974 Posts: 11
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    go at your speed, that feels like you can talk two to three words in between breaths. and make it fun. jog five minutes, walk two minutes, or jog to a light post, and walk ten seconds. or just do whatever.

    who cares what you look like or that you are starting from scratch? it is so amazing you are willing to get back on out there!

    and anyone looking at you will just wish they were out running too. (i am not kidding, it is a small breed that runs and those NOT running always wonder what it would be like to push the body like that. because running is hard, no doubt, but it is soooo good for you, and once you find those awesome endorphins, you will not look back.)
    just make sure you are fitted for good shoes. because injury will side line you, FAST. and shoes are most important.

    hey. i think start with a goal of 20 minutes. start on the elliptical, then leave gym on foot. run/walk 20 minutes, and return to they gym to wrap up your exercise on the elliptical. by that time you will be nice and warmed up, and i bet you can go harder on the ellipticizer:)
    good luck.
  • Sepheara
    Sepheara Posts: 208 Member
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    I can do 20-25 minutes on an eliptical but I can't really run for more then a minute. I do the walk/jog things now and they feel intense, but short. so sometimes I do two of them. However, I have never previously run before so, so maybe I'm different.
    I am thinking if you are out of the habit of something it's better to be safe then sorry if you end up getting hurt. some progams have an evaluation that tells you where to start. Maybe one of those would be helpful :)
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    I think you'd be safe just getting out and running to your own pace, but keep it to every other day at first and stop if there's any pain. Your going to put strain on your knees and ankles you didn't with the elliptical, so you have to be careful not to injure those areas. There's also shin splints, so if your shins start to hurt, take it slower.

    You're probably going to be sore the first few times, especially if you push it hard.
  • momtozmc
    momtozmc Posts: 418 Member
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    I'd say just go for it...if you feel like you have to walk, then walk.

    I run 5-6 days a week... if I have a particularly long run one day, the next day I may have to walk a little bit... I listen to my body.

    As the saying goes... Just do it.

    L
  • karikariboberry
    karikariboberry Posts: 28 Member
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    In the beginning I ran telephone poles/
    So I would alternate running and walking in between telephone poles, this would let me see how out of breath running made me and helped me to improve to now running about 55 mins+ of straight running.
    But the first step is just getting out there, so start it, no matter how long you run for, just start it
  • tabbydog
    tabbydog Posts: 4,925 Member
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    To avoid injury stick to the annoying walk/run thing. You'll thank yourself later. :smile:
  • ruststar
    ruststar Posts: 489 Member
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    I started by walking and pretty quickly my body just wanted to run, so I ran. Slowly at first, and not very far, but it built over time. You can burn the same amount of calories walking or running the same distance but running will just get you there faster. Set a distance goal to walk or run, and push yourself to get it doen a little faster each time by adding more and more running. Soon enough you'll be running the whole distance, and then you can work on your speed.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    Thanks everyone. I think I'll just have a go in the morning, but will take it easy, run / walk if I need to, and see what happens. Excited now. I love to run. :-)
  • Godsflower1789
    Godsflower1789 Posts: 90
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    do 5 mins on, 5 off, or whatever feels comfortable!
    I ran at my heaviest and injured my knee really bad, and wasn't able to for a while. if you do long runs do a slower pace, shorter faster sprints in between. I mean, you don't have to stick to just one thing!
    as long as you're out there and moving, you will start progressively getting stronger and more able to do things.
    good luck! :)
  • runningathena
    runningathena Posts: 218 Member
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    I'm a running coach, and the ladies I worked with, when starting out, would do a 2 min run/1 min walk interval, then gradually increase the run interval. Maybe try something like that until you feel comfortable! I'm training for my second marathon and I use a 4 min run/1 min walk interval on my long runs. :) Good luck!
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    There is a big difference in impact between elliptical (low) and running (high) so your joints will probably thank you if you start out slow with a walk/run.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    I should probably have said that I'm also walking (outside) 3-5 miles a day.

    I've run before (half marathon) but can't really remember where I started from or how I got going. The thing I remember most clearly was that breaking the 10 minute barrier was a very important issue for me in terms of building distance, last time round.

    Athena, I'm particularly interested that you still do the 5 min 1 min interval for longer runs. It was the thing that I found hardest to get right when I was up to longer distances, managing to walk then start running again. I found my legs would get so heavy if I stopped running at all. Perhaps working with intervals this time round will help to fix that.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    Well, I tried today, and it went ok. I ran twenty minutes, running two minutes walking one. It wasn't as annoying as I remembered. It was also a lot harder than I remembered! Can't believe I used to be able to run 60 continuous minutes, just 2 years ago. I do hope I can recover that ability again!

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